Leather, Plastic, Nylon or Custom Kydex Knife Sheaths for Fixed Blades?

Every good fixed blade knife needs a sheath. A good sheath not only protects its knife from the elements, but it also protects the user from their knife. In addition to safety concerns, different knife sheaths have their own strengths and weaknesses. We carry a wide variety of sheath options including leather, plastic, nylon, and  custom Kydex knife sheaths for fixed blades. Today we will be looking at each of these sheaths options so you can make the best choice when selecting a knife sheath to go with your knife.

Leather Sheaths

When most people think of a generic sheath, the image that comes to mind is usually some type of leather option. Leather has been the traditional material for constructing sheaths for millenia and for good reason. Sheaths constructed from leather are an attractive option that will do a great job protecting your knife.

Leather, as you almost definitely know, is an animal product created by curing and processing the hide of cattle. The resulting material is both strong and durable, making it ideal for a wide range of applications. Leather is soft enough to protect your blade, while also being strong enough to resist being cut while holding your knife.

One of the biggest advantages of leather sheaths is the fact that they are both soft and flexible. This means that, when worn, these sheaths are usually a quiet option. For hunters especially, having a sheath that does not bang around and cause unnecessary noise will help ensure that you don’t scare away your quarry.

In addition to being an ideal option in terms of material composition, leather sheaths can also be an extremely attractive option. After thousands of years of working with leather, we have mastered the craft to the point where fine details and designs can be tooled into leather sheaths to give them a beautiful look and feel.

If you plan on choosing a leather sheath for your knife, there are a few things to consider. The first being what kind of leather sheath system that you plan on using. Traditional leather knife sheaths end in a belt loop and are securely held against your hip during transit. The other option is to choose a dangling sheath system, where the belt loop and main sheath is connected by a small chain. This lets the sheath swing freely while you move. Some users prefer these sheaths because they make moving with your knife a little less restrictive.

No matter what type of leather sheather you choose, there will be some small maintenance requirements. Because leather is a natural material, it can degrade over time. Leather sheaths may eventually stretch and lose shape after extended use. The best way to preserve the integrity of your sheath is to occasionally oil it. This will keep your leather from drying out and becoming brittle and also prevent it from absorbing too much water and losing its shape.

Plastic Sheaths

Plastic sheaths are a more modern option in terms of sheath technology. Plastic is an umbrella term for countless chemically derived materials and our remaining three types of sheaths are all some form of plastic. Despite this fact, when we say “plastic” we are referring to injection molded sheaths made of soft and flexible plastic material.

Because these sheaths are injection molded, they start out as small plastic pellets. These pellets are heated and then injected into a mold at high pressure. Once the plastic has cooled, the resulting sheath is a perfect fit for the knife it was designed for. This manufacturing process is fast and efficient and plastic is a relatively inexpensive material, making these sheaths an incredible deal.

When you look at our plastic sheaths, you will notice that they all feature small eyelet holes on their surfaces, surrounding the blade section. These are molding into the sheath to facilitate the use of sheath backing systems like MOLLE accessories. MOLLE, or MOdular Lightweight Load-bearing Equipment, is a system designed to make it easy to attach accessories to backpacks, sheaths, and other carry gear. If you have a MOLLE sheath backer, it is easy to use cordage to secure your plastic sheath so you can carry your knife using a sheath system that you are familiar with.

Plastic sheaths tend to be designed to only fit a specific knife model because of how they are molded. While leather pouch style sheaths are a common and versatile option for holding a wide range of knives, you will not find the same flexibility with plastic sheaths. Even if you use a leather sheath, keeping a plastic option that fits your blade is a great option for storing knives without having to deal with the effects of humidity from leather, which can damage knives during long term storage.

Despite being remarkably stable and water resistant, plastic sheaths do come with their drawbacks. Over time, plastic can warp and lose its shape, making it a little more difficult to easier sheath your knife. Many plastics are also susceptible to UV radiation, which means that long term use in the field might degrade your sheath. Even with these drawbacks, when you consider their price, a plastic sheath can offer an incredible value.

Nylon Sheaths

For knife fans who like the flexibility of leather and the resilience of plastic, the nylon sheath is a great option. Nylon is a type of plastic that is melted and stretched into fibers, which can then be used to make woven and knit textiles. The plastic construction of these textiles makes them extremely durable and nylon can be found in a wide range of commercial products from stockings to knife sheaths.

In terms of performance, nylon sheaths are similar to leather options in many ways. Nylon fibers are strong and flexible. This means that the woven nylon material used in our sheaths can handle a beating without being easily cut or torn. In addition to being strong, these sheaths are also quite flexible. Because of this flexibility, Nylon sheaths are easy on knife blades while also being a nice and quiet sheath option.

While leather and nylon sheaths may offer similar performance, the aesthetic difference is pretty obvious. While some gravitate towards leather for its classic look and feel, others are going to prefer the modern, tactical look of a good nylon sheath.

Each of our Nylon sheaths is MOLLE compatible. They use snaps, buckles, and velcro to keep your knife secure in transit. Most of our knife sheaths are listed to fit specific knife models, though Nylon can be flexible like leather. While we cannot guarantee that our sheaths will find knives other than the listed model, many of our sheaths can be used with a few different knife models due to their open pouch design.

In order to provide a little extra security for your knife, our sheaths also include a hard plastic blade protector. This small sheet of plastic helps to limit the amount of flexibility the sheath has in the blade section, protecting your blade and sheath in the event of falls or impacts. These sheaths also include handle straps to stabilize your knife in the sheath and keep it extra secure.

Nylon sheaths will let water through to your knife, though they are fairly water resistant, especially when made with a tight weave. Over a long enough period of time, like any fabric, nylon can stretch and deform. This can make it harder to securely hold your knife, but they do offer the distinct advantage of being a virtually maintenance free sheath option.

Kydex Sheaths

Our final sheath options are custom Kydex knife sheaths for fixed blades. Kydex sheaths are one of the latest innovations in sheath making. Kydex itself is a thermoplastic material, meaning that it can be heated to a working temperature, molded to a shape, and it will retain that shape when it cools and hardens. Kydex can be worked and reworked several times if necessary to get a precise fit.

Kydex was originally designed as a material for manufacturing airplane interiors. In order to work for this application, Kydex sheets were designed to be strong, lightweight, and extremely wear resistant. All of these characteristics also make Kydex an excellent choice for sheath making.

It is unclear when the first Kydex sheaths and holsters were manufactured, but the process of making custom Kydex knife sheaths for fixed blades remains a popular project for DIY knife enthusiasts. The working temperature of Kydex can be achieved easily using simple tools like home toaster ovens. The classic Kydex sheath making technique is to heat two panels to their working temperature, clamp them around a knife blade using a material like foam, allowing the Kydex to form to precisely fit your knife.

One the Kydex has been molded and cooled, the two sheets can be cut to size and riveted together to create an extremely tough sheath. In many cases, rivets are positioned to make it easier to attach a homemade Kydex sheath to a sheath backer, pack, or other piece of carry equipment.

The biggest advantage to using a Kydex sheath is the fact that they are nearly as strong as the knives they carry. This hard plastic material is water, wear and impact resistant, so you can rest assured that your knife will be safe during transit.

Like every sheath option, Kydex will have its drawbacks. Depending on the fit of the sheets, Kydex sheaths may allow enough room around the knife blade for it to move. This means that they can be loud as the knife rattles around. The hard plastic edges can also be rough on the surface of your knife, though every sheath will impact the surface of your knife in some manner.

Here at The Knife Connection, we offer custom molded Kydex sheaths to fit a wide range of the popular knife models that we offer. Because of how these sheaths are molded, they are similar to plastic sheaths when it comes to finding a sheath that will be a proper fit for your knife. The custom molding process will also help to ensure that your knife will be held as securely as possible during transit.

All of our Kydex sheaths are designed to be used with MOLLE compatible sheath accessories, which you can also find in our shop. They can be secured to these sheaths using slide locks and other hardware. In addition to having plenty of options when it comes to choosing a sheath system, the fact that these knives are manufactured from sheets of material also means that they are available in several color and pattern options.

All of our Kydex knife sheaths can also be paired with a Kydex firesteel loop. These loops and the handles on our firesteels come in a wide range of colors so you can always find one to match your knife. All you have to do is attach your new loop securely to one of the component slots on your new sheath to always have a useful fire starting tool that’s ready to go.

If you are looking for a reliable sheath to go with your new knife or your existing knife, you can find all of these options in the sheath category of our shop. If you need help choosing between leather, plastic, nylon, or custom Kydex knife sheaths for fixed blades , then our knife experts are always happy to help. Just reach out to our team and we will assist you with finding the sheaths that will be a great fit for your knife or answer any other questions you have about any of the products we carry. Here at The Knife Connection, our goal is to always make sure that our customers can always find the best knives and knife accessories that they need.